The team behind SXSW Sydney have a tightrope to walk: When you bring one of the world’s most iconic events to the other side of the world, how do you balance what people expect with showing off its new home?
It’s a question that Colin Daniels, managing director of SXSW Sydney, has had to ask, as well as carving out a vision for the expanded festival.
Mediaweek spoke to Daniels about what SXSW Sydney will look like and what the beauty of the event is.
Daniels got involved with the SXSW Sydney conference after spending his whole in the events and creative industries, and knows a thing about how the conference works – having been 19 times.
“The first time I went was in 1997. I’ve seen SXSW grow, I’ve seen Austin change, and I’ve seen what this event can do for businesses – whether that be a startup, or a new artist, or a young film director.
“There are a lot of people around the world in the creative content industries that will take holidays and pay for themselves to go to SXSW. What kind of event can attract people to take time off their business to go to a business event? That is the magic of what SXSW is.”
Bringing SXSW down under is no mean feat, with Daniels pointing out that the move “is significant for Sydney and all of the Asia Pacific region,” calling the fact that SXSW is going ahead in Sydney “a compliment to Australia.”
Daniels and the team are rising to the challenge, however, with a very clear vision for the Sydney event.
“The vision for SXSW Sydney is to be the most indispensable platform in the Asia Pacific region for helping creative people share ideas and achieve their goals,” says Daniels. “Our aim is to connect all of Asia Pacific’s tech, gaming, music, film, and creative industries with the rest of the world.
“The message we want to get across to the rest of the world is that if you want to do business in the Asia Pacific region, you need to be at SXSW Sydney.”
With punters making their way to Sydney in October, Daniels says that whilst he and the team have been inspired by the Texas event, they’re not looking to transport the conference directly from Austin.
“Our vision is that we are replicating the DNA of what SXSW is, we’re not replicating Austin. Sydney is an incredible city and what we want to do is celebrate its beauty and show off its brains and culture.
“It will be the real SXSW, but the culture and the landscape is what will be different. We want to show that off.”
For those taking part in SXSW Sydney, Daniels says they can expect more than 1000 sessions, events, and activities across seven days. As for what they can expect? “SXSW is known for discovery, networking, and having fun – that’s what will happen at SXSW Sydney,” says Daniels.
“It’s like no event you’ve ever experienced on this side of the world. The beauty of SXSW is convergence, you are not going to an event to meet the same people at the same annual event. Screen people are going to meet people from the gaming industry, people from the advertising industry are going to meet people from the screen industry, and screen industry stars will be front and centre at young artists’ showcases. That convergence is where the magic happens at SXSW.”
Hugh Forrest: Why people from SXSW Austin want to make the trip to Sydney in October
With SXSW over for another year in Texas, the countdown is on for the first time the event will touch down in the Southern Hemisphere. SXSW Sydney is opening its doors on October 15, bringing all the sights and sounds of the conference to Australia.
Mediaweek sat down with Hugh Forrest, co-president and chief programming officer for SXSW on his most recent trip to Australia, to chat about what made Sydney a good fit for the expansion, and what has kept him working with the organisation for so long.
Hugh Forrest
Founded in 1987, Forrest has been involved with SXSW since almost day one. In his time with the event, he says that it’s evolved quite a lot – but the heart of it has remained the same.
“When I started back in 1989, it was completely focused on music. Then, we added what was then called film and multimedia in 1994, and that was the start of many pivots to slightly different content. I think that those pivots are the reasons that it’s survived and thrived for 35 years – if we only focused on music, it may not have survived. It certainly wouldn’t have grown as large as we’ve been fortunate enough to grow it.
“We cover topics like transportation, health care, food, fashion, style, sports, climate change, cannabis, psychedelics – the north star is always creativity, and bringing together creative people in a city that celebrates creativity.”
That guiding philosophy of highlighting creativity is what has led the team down under, with Forrest saying that Sydney is “a city that is also very attentive to creativity in all its forms.”
“We’ve been approached over the years by many different cities, regions, and countries about doing a SXSW event, and the conversations that we’ve had here in Australia started in 2018,” says Forrest.
“The commitment seems stronger than anywhere else, a lot of the people involved seem to have a better understanding of what SXSW is, and it’s a gateway to APAC. There’s such a strong technology industry here in Sydney, and that’s been such a big part of our growth at SXSW over the last few years. Last but not least, the fact that it’s so far away from Austin means we didn’t think it was going to pull from our current audience – there are people who would love to go SXSW from this region who have never been able to go to Texas because it’s so far, and they’ll come to this event in Sydney.”
SXSW Sydney 2023 name CommBank and Qantas as its Super Sponsors
South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney 2023 has announced the Commonwealth Bank Australia and Qantas are joining as Super Sponsors of SXSW Sydney 2023.
CommBank and Qantas are tech trailblazers, with countless innovations, updates and world-class improvements under their belts, aligning them perfectly with SXSW Sydney.
This October, the global futurist event will showcase innovative new products and discuss what’s next for tech.
CommBank will be unveiling an updated version of the CommBank app just shy of SXSW Sydney to their 8.3 million+ digitally active users.
Technology and innovation are at the heart of every advancement the banking company make, ensuring their multi-award winning app gives users a highly personalised service, delivering more choice and differentiated benefits.
Jo Boundy, CommBank CMO, said: “We’re proud to be the trusted partner of one in three Australians and a quarter of all businesses, thanks in part to the strength of our technology leadership.
“From our leading digital experience to protecting our customers against scams and fraud, to world leading data and insights capability, and more recently creating AI-driven personalisation and navigation. Our association with SXSW Sydney is therefore fitting given the intersection between innovation, technology, creativity and customer service,” Boundy added.
Australia’s national carrier, Qantas, has recently unveiled its continued their efforts to revolutionise air travel with its latest project, connecting the east coast of Australia to New York and London with their new Sunrise Cabins.
The airline carrier has plans to make the aviation industry more environmentally friendly through the development of a sustainable aviation fuel industry in Australia.
Event attendees will also be given a chance to step into their new innovative designs, with the Sunrise Cabin First and Business Class rigs set to feature at the SXSW Sydney 2023 Expo.
Petra Perry, Qantas CMO, said: “We’re proud to partner with SXSW Sydney to share our stories of how we plan to push the boundaries in aviation to make flying the best it can be for our customers.”
SXSW Sydney 2023 unveils the newest additions to its line-up of speakers
South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney 2023 has announced the latest in the growing line-up of speakers from around the world joining the conference at the new futurist event.
Alongside the Expo, networking parties, activations, music, games and screen festivals, the SXSW Sydney Conference will be a platform the world’s leading speakers in their fields, delivering thought-provoking sessions at the multi-layered event in the Harbour City.
Amongst today’s list are leading speakers in advertising and marketing, Christian Juhl the Global CEO of Group M; and marketing legend Roxy Young, the chief marketing and consumer experience officer of Reddit.
Fenella Kernebone, SXSW Sydney head of conference programming, said: “Also joining us is Ronald Akili, founder of Bali’s renowned Potato Head as well as leading thinkers in generative AI and the technology space.”
Joining the conference as featured speakers are local and global creatives and pioneers, including:
• Christian Juhl (Global CEO, Group M): passionate about making advertising work better for everyone and CEO of the world leading media investment company
• Genevieve Bell (ANU), renowned anthropologist, technologist, futurist and Director of the School of Cybernetics at the Australian National University, and a Vice President and Senior Fellow at Intel Corporation
• Jamila Gordon (Lumachain), a global tech executive included on BBC’s ‘100 Women’ list of women leading the way to ‘reinvent our society, culture and world’
• Mikaela Jade (Founder & CEO, Indigital Edutech); proud Cabrogal woman and recognised leader in the technology space
• Noelle Russell (Accenture), awarded technologist and champion for Data and AI literacy, Russell is the Global AI Solutions & Generative AI & LLM (Large Language Model) Industry Lead at Accenture, based in Miami
• Ronald Akili (Potato Head, Bali), entrepreneur operating at the forefront of the hospitality and creative fields, bringing Indonesian contemporary art, architecture and food to the global stage, with entertainment businesses in Singapore, Jakarta and Bali
• Roxy Young (Reddit), Global Chief Marketing Officer Reddit and the first Latinx female to join Reddit’s C-Suite, based in San Francisco
SXSW Sydney will see the Asia-Pacific’s pre-eminent creative industries come together across content pillars of Tech and Innovation, Gaming, Music, Screen and Culture within a stacked week-long program. To access what SXSW Sydney 2023 has to offer, you need a badge. SXSW Sydney 2023 Platinum and Industry badges are now available for purchase HERE.
Previously announced Keynote and Featured Speakers
Alongside the Session Select sessions announced last week, previously announced Keynote and Featured speakers include:
• Keynote Speaker and Futurist, Amy Webb – SXSW 2023 talk here
• Andrew Pask, Professor School of Biosciences University of Melbourne
• Ben Lamm, Founder and CEO Colossus – SXSW 2023 talk here
• Chris Lee, Chief A&R Officer and Former CEO, SM Entertainment (Sung-su Lee)
• Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist, Canva
• Jack Reis, Co-Founder of Baidam Solutions
• Kyas Hepworth, Head of Screen NSW
• Larissa Behrendt, Professor University of Technology Sydney
• Manal Al-Sharif, Women’s Rights Activist
• Michael J. Biercuk, CEO & Founder Q-Ctrl
• Per Sundin, CEO Pophouse Entertainment
• Que Minh Luu, Director of Content Netflix (ANZ)
• Robyn Denholm, Chair of Technology Council of Australia
• Rohit Bhargava, Founder The Non-Obvious Company – SXSW 2023 talk here
• Sam Barlow, Game Director and Owner Half Mermaid
• Sean Miyashiro, Founder and CEO 88 Rising
• Sheila Nguyen, Head of Sustainability AUS and NZL at FIFA Women’s World Cup
• Sung-Eun Youn, Film Critic
• Tom Verrilli, Chief Product Officer of Twitch
• Yiying Lu, Adobe Global Creative Ambassador
• Yoomin Yang, Co-Founder and CEO WOW POINT
More information on the previously announced speaker line-up is available here and the first Session Select sessions to join the inaugural SXSW Sydney Conference can be found here.
From Sunday, October 15 to Sunday, October 22, 2023, SXSW Sydney will see the Asia-Pacific’s pre-eminent creative industries come together across content pillars of Tech and Innovation, Gaming, Music, Screen and Culture within a stacked week-long program.